Only in Rochester – #6 & and GIVEAWAY!

August 30, 2011
Yes, there’s a giveaway buried in this post!

A good one, too!




“What foods these morsels be!” Love the box slogan that’s been there forever.
There are a few iconic things that belong only to Rochester.

If you meet a Rochesterian, he or she will absolutely know what they are.

Like Donuts Delite.

Would you believe my photo of those donuts

got more comments than anything else?

They ARE delicious.

And everyone from my hometown knows about them.

After all, we grew up with Donuts Delite

and other things exclusive to our home town.

This is another. Custard is the richest soft ice cream you can imagine, and it’s the ice cream we knew first and best growing up. It’s far better than gelato even. Abbotts started as a West-side thing, over by the beach in Charlotte, M’s old neighborhood. A long day at Lake Ontario beach always ended best with an Abbotts cone.

Long after I moved away, one cropped up a block from my high school. M and I stopped in at that one last month. And then a few years ago, when I was living in Tampa, an Abbotts opened there, in Hyde Park. I got to try it once, and then, it closed down. Shame on Tampa for not recognizing great ice cream! If you’re lucky enough to live in Rochester or a few nearby cities, Abbotts is at your disposal, as it is in two Florida communities, two Massachusetts cities and one in Colorado. But Abbotts will always say “Rochester” to me.

You think hot dogs are red? Nope, not all of them.

Here’s another Rochester icon: White hots. Uncured beef, pork and veal.

The lack of curing or smoking allows the hot dog to remain white.

A complete Rochester invention brought to us by the German immigrants

who lived in Rochester in the 1920s.



And M’s favorite Rochester icon: Genesee Cream Ale, otherwise known As Genny Cream ale.

He used to be able get a whole six-pack for 89 cents or less back in the day.

He’s still got his Genny Cream Ale glass, too.

(I think it tastes like a weasel peed in the bottle,

but lots of Rochester men absolutely love the stuff.)


Here’s a vintage commercial.

If you’re from Rochester and know other iconic foods, drinks

or things exclusive to that city, tell me about it in Comments

here on the blog.

Whether you’re from Rochester or not,

if you have a favorite of those I’ve written about,

I’d love to know what it is and why you love it.

What do YOU remember about these things?



Commenters will be entered into a random drawing.

The prize is a $50 gift voucher
to www.paperculture.com

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You will, too. It’s a great and useful prize, especially

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I picked up a few of their very cute Christmas cards.

You must 1) follow my blog if you don’t already; 2) comment here on the blog, below, to enter

(not on FB or Twitter) and 3) you must have a valid email address with your comment

(or email it to me privately if you prefer).

You may enter as many times as you want this week by commenting on

blog posts through this Saturday: five more chances to enter!

Once a day, please!

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I must have at least 15 different entries for this giveaway. If not,

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Contest ends Saturday, Sept 3.

6 comments on “Only in Rochester – #6 & and GIVEAWAY!
  1. Pat U says:

    Carol, the white hot is another Rochester thing that has passed me by, but at least I have tried them. Sorry, but me no like.

  2. Anonymous says:

    been to abbotts; you’re right, frozen custard is the best. there is one near me in needham, ma.
    beth grd

  3. Beth, send me your email addy!

  4. Pat, they aren’t my faves, either

  5. Cheri says:

    I’ve never been to Rochester, NY. I grew up on the other side of the country, and the closest I’ve been was a trip to NYC in 1997. So I’d never heard of Donuts Delite, Abbotts, white hots OR Genesee Cream Ale—until your blog. But now? I am salivating over the idea of a rich, soft frozen custard cone. Yum.

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